Somehow, Easter equals carrot cake for me. Maybe it’s an honor for the Easter Bunny, but for me it’s an excuse for these delicious bite sized muffins. Moister than most other muffins, this has a secret ingredient (pineapple) and is beautiful with traditional cream cheese frosting piped on top. They are a perfect sweet treat for a spring brunch, shower or graduation event.
Recipe source:
The Cooking With Friends Kitchen
Ingredients
2 cups white flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup canola oil
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 cups grated carrot
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package light cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl until well-mixed. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and oil. Transfer egg mixture to flour mixture, and stir well. Mix in pineapple and carrots.
Grease mini-muffin tins with butter, and fill ¾ full of batter, using a tablespoon. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes, and pipe of spread frosting on each muffin. (To pipe, place frosting in a freezer bag, cut off a corner and squeeze the frosting onto the muffin.)
For frosting: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat ingredients until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Serves
Makes 4 and a half dozen mini-muffins, or 2 dozen regular sized muffins